The American Sisters
by QueenNorma
Summary: Fred Weasley finds love with a mysterious American girl....
1. Default Chapter Title

The American Sisters

During Harry's fifth year, something odd happened. Two American girls enrolled in Hogwarts. One, Tracy, was a new sixth year, and her sister, Courtney, was a fourth year. Both were Muggles, and both seemed terrified to be in a new place and a new country. Tracy was a semi-pretty girl, with dirty blonde hair and freckles, and big green eyes. It was obvious, however, that Tracy did not feel this way at all. Her sister looked considerably older than she, particularly owing to the fact that she was several inches taller did. Tracy was tiny, and Courtney was tall and glamorous. People often called Tracy cute, but they called Courtney beautiful. 

Their personalities were also as different as could be. Tracy was always laughing, always joking around, but she was unconcerned with her appearance. She loved to play sports, and be in the middle of things. Courtney was very concerned with her appearance. She didn't really like to get dirty, and tried to avoid being seen without makeup at all costs. Despite their differences, they were both alike in the fact that they were genuinely good people, and each obviously cared for the other very much.

It was odd to see two older girls being sorted with all the others at that year's sorting ceremony and the entire school was curious about whom the two girls could be. Tracy, because she was older, was the first to be sorted. When the sorting hat announced that she would be in Gryffndor, the entire Gryffndor table cheered for her. Tracy looked over, as if she was surprised that they cared at all about her, and slowly made her way over to the table. She watched nervously as her sister, who was next in line, walked up to the stool and put on the sorting hat. A look of obvious relief came over her face when she heard that Courtney would be in Gryffndor also, she was quite clearly worried about making friends by herself. 

That night, Fred and George Weasley stayed up in the Gryffndor commons room, elated at the gift they had been given by the new girls' presences. They were obvious targets for their tricks, especially the older girl since she was the same year as they were. They were sure she knew nothing about Ton Tongue Toffees or Canary Creams, and so she would be the perfect target for their jokes. 

The next day, Tracy entered the commons room, where Fred was sitting by himself. 

"Hello," she said nervously, "it's Fred, right?" She gave him a tentative smile, but even the half smile lit up her face and made her eyes seem even bigger, it was clear that her smile was one of her best features. 

"No, it's George, but that's all right, we look a bit alike and it'll take you a while to tell us apart I predict." Fred smiled to himself. He and George had forgotten the fun they could have pretending to be each other.

"I suppose it will, I'm sorry. I guess you get tired of it happening all the time, huh?" She smiled again, and once again she seemed even prettier.

"Nah, we've gotten used to it." Fred said, casually reaching over to a candy box. "Say have you tried any English candy yet? Try this, it's delicious, and its cream filled!"

"Thanks!" She smiled again, thinking that perhaps making friends here wouldn't be so hard after all. She bit into the candy, and was about to tell Fred how delicious it was, but she hardly had time to open her mouth before she changed into a canary amidst a flurry of feathers. Fred burst into peals of laughter, the look of surprise on the girl's face before she had changed to a bird had been the funniest thing he had seen in a while. Now she was flying around the room frantically, it was obvious that she didn't really understand how to use her wings, and so she was bumping into windows and walls, every once in a while her altitude would begin to drop and she would have to swerve suddenly to avoid crashing to the floor. This was one of the most hilarious things Fred had ever seen, and after a while he became so exhausted from laughing that he was forced to sit down. After a couple of minutes, the canary managed to perch herself on a table, and about a minute after that the bird vanished and the girl reappeared, looking flushed and slightly flustered. She was out of breath, presumably from struggling to keep herself aloft as a bird. 

Fred eyed her nervously. It was one thing to laugh at her while she was a canary, but now he wasn't sure that he wanted to face her when she was hurt and upset at being tricked.

"Look, uh, I'm sorry that I-" he was interrupted by the girl's throaty laugh. Soon she was laughing so hard that she too had to sit down on the big, comfy couch next to Fred.

"That's great! I didn't know they had candies like those!! Did you buy it at a joke shop?" Fred stared at her, too astonished to speak. She wasn't angry?? 

"Uh, um, no, I uh, I mean we, I mean my brother and I, we uh, we made them together." He forced the words out, still amazed that the girl's big green eyes weren't filling with tears.

"Well, I think they're ingenious. You and your brother should try selling those sometime." She reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of gum, and popped it into her mouth. She smiled at him, now chewing on the gum as she spoke. "You're looking at me as if you think I'm crazy. Well I'm not, I just appreciate a good joke. Want a piece?" She held a piece of gum out towards him, as if to say no hard feelings. He nodded and took the piece, popping it into his mouth just as the girl had done. The girl grinned at him, as if the fact that he had taken the gum had made her the happiest person in the world. Fred was just noticing how pretty she was when she smiled when he looked down at his hands. His hands, his arms, his entire body had turned green. He looked up at the girl, and she grinned over her shoulder at him, mouthed, "Bye Fred", then turned and walked upstairs to her dormitory.

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"Can you believe it? She tricked me completely! No one's ever done that before! And she knew I wasn't you!" George shook his head in disbelief. Fred had just finished telling him the story of Tracy and her "Greening Gum", and they were both in awe. The fact that she had been so good natured about the whole thing, combined with the fact that she was able to beat Fred at his own game made astonished both of the twins. They had never been tricked before, much less by some innocent naive girl.

The year progressed on, and Tracy was named alternate seeker for the Gryffndor Quidditch team, in case Harry couldn't play. Tracy's small stature made her ideal for the position of seeker, she was fast, quick, brave, and in fact she was nearly as good as Harry. Tracy's skills became incredibly important however in December, when Harry fell off his broomstick in practice, the day before the match against the Slytherins. Angelina, the team captain who had replaced Oliver Wood, remained calm however. 

"Tracy is a strong seeker, we all know that. We'll do fine without Harry." This was all Angelina said as a pep talk before the match, and this was all the Gryffndor team needed. They had beaten the Slytherins before, and as long as Fred and George did a good job of keeping the bludgers away from Tracy they would do fine. Over the course of the year Fred and Tracy had become particularly good friends. They would spend hours in the commons room with George, comparing tricks and jokes, sneaking out of Hogwarts to go to Zonko's Joke Shop in Hogsmeade, and just talking in between classes or before they went to bed. Best of all, Fred helped Tracy learn a bit about England which she might not have understood without his help. 

"You nervous at all Trace?" Fred came up behind her, drawing in his breath as she twisted her head around to smile up at him. The more he had gotten to know her, the prettier she had seemed to become to him, and he grew short of breath every time she flashed her enthusiastic smile his way. 

"What, with two big, strong guys like you and George guarding me? Actually, maybe I should be worried..." She laughed, her whole face lighting up, and craned her neck to look up at Fred. He had grown considerably during the past year, she barely reached the middle of his chest. "Don't worry about me Fred, I'll be fine, honest! I'm a big girl." He smiled wryly, looking down at her.

"Not very big, considering that you barely come up to your 14 year old sister's shoulders!" She laughed and punched him, then turned away to go over last minute plays with Angelina.

During the game, Fred tried to wipe his mind clean and concentrate only on the bludgers. It was hard to ignore the yell that rose from the stands however about twenty minutes into the game, and Fred began to look around to see what was causing the uproar. It was then that he noticed that Tracy was clutching onto her broom desperately and that she was about to slip off. He began to rush towards her, but as soon as he started towards her he watched in terror as she lost her grip and fell through the air, her small body crumpling as she hit the ground. Fred flew over to George, the entire Gryffndor team was looking at her with pale faces, while the entire Slytherin team was whooping and cheering. 

"What happened George?" Fred inquired frantically. "I wasn't watching."

"Malfoy rammed her from the side on purpose. You better go down there. I dunno, she fell from a long way up Fred..." Fred lay flat against his broom and zoomed down towards where the teachers were gathering around Tracy. She had a bleeding gash on her head from where she had hit the ground, and her arm was twisted in a strange angle beneath her. She was clearly unconscious and wasn't responding to repeated shouts from Professor Dumbledore. 

"Better get her to the hospital wing, quickly," Dumbledore announced, looking gravely up at the other teachers. "I won't need any help, I can manage her by myself I think."

"I'm coming too." Fred announced, not bothering to ask permission. "I'm going wherever she goes." Fred expected Dumbledore to object, but instead he took one look at Fred's face and said "All right, you may come along, if you promise not to interfere." Fred promised and gently picked up Tracy, cradling her small frame as if he were carrying a baby.

Fred stayed at her bedside all night, staring nervously at her for signs of awakening. Her freckles were standing out like dark blotches on her unnaturally pale face, her usually smiling mouth looked grim. After what seemed like hours, her eyelids fluttered open, and she looked bewilderedly around. Madame Pomfrey came rushing over excitedly, pushing Fred away. Fred stood a distance away, waiting nervously. He could hear Tracy answering Madame Pomfrey's questions in a soft voice, she sounded confused and a little bit scared. After a couple of questions, he heard her voice raise slightly.

"Where's Fred? Didn't he want to come with me? Why isn't he here?" She questioned Madame Pomfrey in an uncertain tone of voice, as if she feared that her answers might be disrespectful. 

"Now why do you assume that Fred would be here dear?" asked Madame Pomfrey, feeling Tracy's forehead. "Perhaps you need a little more sleep." Fred stepped forward to Tracy's bed. 

"I'm here Trace. I thought you said you could handle yourself huh?"

"It wasn't me it was Malfoy....I hope you guys did something bad to him." She grinned weakly at him. "I knew you were here. I knew you wouldn't leave me...." Madame Pomfrey gave an exaggerated sigh.

"Obviously you're not going to sleep, so I suppose you can stay a little longer." she said, nodding at Fred. "I'll give you two some privacy."

"Geez Trace, I was so worried about you." Fred reached down and brushed a piece of hair off her forehead gently. "When I thought about what I would do to myself if you got seriously hurt..."

"Shhh, I'm fine though, just a broken arm and a nasty bump on the head. Nothing to worry about." She reached up and placed her fingers on his lips, as if to quiet him. Fred's breathing grew shallow, and he looked down at the slender finger on his lips. Tracy, noticing this, blushed, and pulled her finger away quickly, but Fred caught it, looking down at her, with a mixture of seriousness and amusement in his eyes.

"You mean so much to me....." he whispered, leaning down closer to her. Tracy gasped, startled at suddenly finding his mouth so near her own. He leaned down a little farther and just brushed her lips, so lightly that she could hardly even feel it. Then, tentatively, he pressed his lips down a little harder on hers, kissing her so tenderly and gently that she could feel the kiss tingling all throughout her body. He pulled away and looked down at Tracy, nervous to see how she would respond. Still heavy-lidded from the effects of his first kiss, Tracy looked up at him, bewildered. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand up, and cupped it softly around the back of his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.


	2. Default Chapter Title

The American Sisters: Confusion

Ok guys, first of all I want to thank everyone for reading, and an extra thanks to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate all your comments a lot, so keep reviewing! Also, I've gotten some criticism about Tracy and Courtney being Mary Sues, but I hope they have a little more depth than that, although I admit they have some Mary Sue qualities. Ok well read the other three before you read this if you haven't already, and then read and review please! Thanks!

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"Tracy? Tracy? TRACY!" Tracy opened her eyes with great difficulty, and was surprised to see the worried looking face of Fred peering down at her. 

"What are you doing here? You're going to get in trouble, now get out before one of my room mates wakes up and sees you!" She sat up in bed and immediately wished she hadn't. Fred's face swam in front of her, and she began to feel very dizzy. After battling with this for about a minute with a look of extreme concentration on her face she lay back down.

"Um, I don't think that's going to happen." Fred smiled wryly. "You see, it's three o'clock in the afternoon. You've been asleep since I brought you back here last night, and none of your room mates could wake you up. All of your teachers were pretty understanding though, except of course for Snape. You have detention at six on Friday."

"What happened last night? Why couldn't my room mates wake me up? Detention?" Tracy's voice grew more hysteric with each word she said, it was clear to Fred that she was completely confused.

"Gee Trace, you don't remember anything do you? Remember last night was the Yule Ball? Malfoy put something in your punch and you got really sick, finally you passed out and I brought you back here. I've been here ever since." She looked at him more closely and realized that he was still dressed in his now very rumpled looking dress robes. On the bottom of them was a familiar looking stain that Tracy decided not to examine too closely. He had huge dark circles under his eyes and looked very tired. "Anyway I came to see if you were feeling well enough to go get something to eat and then maybe come to Quidditch practice."

"Yeah of course, I can't believe I've been sleeping all this time." She sat up again and immediately the room started spinning wildly around her."

"Lie down. Before we do anything I'm going to take you to Madame Pomfrey, just to make sure you're ok. Where are your Quidditch robes?"

"The drawer over there. But you're not dressing me, I can do that myself no matter how sick I am. Go wait outside the door until I'm ready." He chuckled at how stubborn she could be when she was so obviously weak, then left to wait outside her door, just catching a glimpse of her getting out of bed in her big flannel nightshirt that her room mates had dressed her in last night when he had asked them for their help. Fred had been terrified last night. She had been fine when she had been throwing up, not fine but deathly ill either. But when she had passed out.......he shuddered. Her skin had been a pale bluish white and she had felt cold to the touch. Until Madame Pomfrey had told him to let her go sleep it off he had been terrified that he would lose her for a second time.

"Okay, I'm all ready! But I feel much better now, I don't think I really need to go see Madame Pomfrey." Fred looked over at Tracy, who was stepping out of the door dressed in her scarlet Quidditch robes. But despite her chipper voice he could tell that she was not feeling better at all. Her face was still very pale and the smile on her face was forced. 

"You don't have to act all macho in front of me." He smiled at her. "Look we'll go to Madame Pomfrey just to check things out, Okay?" She smiled back, knowing that Fred could read her emotions well. 

"Okay. And then lets go to the kitchen, I'm famished."

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"Just the after effects of a mild poison dear, it will be completely worn off by tomorrow. Skip Quidditch practice today, but if you want to go get something to eat with Fred you should be able to keep it down. You're a good boy for taking care of her all night Fred." He blushed, turning a deeper red than his hair. 

"Oh, well it's the least I could do for a, um, for a friend." Madame Pomfrey smiled at him. 

"Now, who put the poison in your drink dear?" Tracy screwed up her face as if she were battling with herself, and then gave Fred an apologetic look.

"I can't remember. I just drank one of the drinks at the table which is stupid I guess. I should have just drank the punch Fred gave me." Fred stared at her in amazement. Why hadn't she told on Malfoy?

"Well all right, if either of you remember anything please tell me or another teacher." She turned to Fred again. "Just make sure she doesn't eat anything too rich, or you'll get a couple more stains on your lovely dress robes." A look of horror came over Tracy's face and she rushed out of the room.

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"Tracy geez you were sick, there was nothing you could do about it. Please don't be upset my dress robes are NOT ruined and I do not care that you threw up on me. I'm just glad that you're all right. But what I do want to know is why you didn't tell on Malfoy."

"I just don't think I need to get him in trouble. If I start trying to get revenge on him I'll be just as bad as he is." Fred didn't really believe this answer, but decided to drop it right now. He had decided to tell Tracy that he was falling in, or had already fallen, in love with her. But just as he was about to open his mouth to tell her she began frantically waving at someone down the hall. As they got closer he saw a tall boy of about age nineteen, with dark black hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a small mole just below his right eye.

"Patrick!" Tracy nearly squealed, and before Fred could say anything to her she ran up to the boy, jumped into his arms, and kissed him.


	3. Default Chapter Title

The American Sisters: Courtney

There was no doubt about it. 

Courtney was unhappy at Hogwart's. At the beginning of the year it had been fine, she and Tracy had always been close, and they had basically stuck together as much as possible. But Tracy had quickly made friends with Fred and George, and although she still hung out with Courtney every once in a while, her time was completely taken up. Courtney had made friends with Pavarati and Lavender Brown, or rather, they had made friends with her once they saw her clothes and her makeup. But Courtney had quickly realized that Pavarati and Lavender were completely shallow and had assumed she was also, and so now she tried to stay as far away from them as possible. 

Courtney, contrary to popular belief, was not a shallow and silly girl. She was used to her old school in America, where she had been popular and well liked, and admired for her skill with makeup and fashion. She had been the party queen at her old school, going wild every weekend, while girls like her sister were at home studying. But despite her lack of study time, Courtney still managed to do well in her classes. She loved magic, and attacked everything with the same vigor in which she attacked the task of designing a new outfit.

Courtney admired Hermione Granger completely. Her smartness in class, combined with the fact that she hung out with two boys and didn't care what anyone thought of her amazed Courtney. While Courtney was always worried about her appearance and what people were thinking as she walked down the halls, Hermione didn't care about anyone. But Courtney's repeated attempts at friendship were ignored. When Courtney would smile at her in the halls, Hermione would return a withering look that showed exactly what she thought of her. 

One day, after Hermione was particularly mean, Courtney just cracked. She excused herself, and began to run back to the dorm as fast as possible. She rushed past the classrooms and the empty library looking down as tears filled her eyes.

"Hey! Watch it!" Courtney looked up and saw a freckled, red headed boy that she thought was Ron Weasley, looking very upset about the fact that his books were now all over the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I just...I just..." Courtney burst into tears again, and quickly hid her eyes behind her hands. She couldn't believe she was crying in front of a fifth year boy, it was so embarrassing! "I'll help you pick up your books." She managed to say in between sobs, reaching up to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "I didn't mean to bump into you, I just wasn't watching where I was going...."

"Hey, don't worry about it." The boy looked down at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you OK?" All of a sudden Courtney had a desire to tell the strange boy everything, even though she wasn't quite sure of whom he was. 

"Yeah, I'm fine" she said, giving him a watery smile. "Are you Ron?"

"Yeah, Ron Weasley. You're that American girl, right?"

"Yes, I'm Courtney, my sister's friends with your brothers." The girl said this so softly that it was almost a whisper.

"Ahh yeah her, I think my brother's practical jokes have doubled in quantity since she got here." The crying girl laughed, and her expression seemed to lighten a little bit as she swatted at the tears in her eyes. "You're sure you're ok?" He looked down at the girl, whose pretty face was streaked with tears, wondering what could have upset her so much. She nodded at him, although she seemed pretty uncertain. "Well you know what, I don't want you to spend the rest of the semester upset. Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" She nodded again, shuffling her feet and looking down at the floor. She was clearly embarrassed and uncertain. "Have you ever had butter beer?" She shook her head, still looking at the floor. "Well I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks for some, how's that? And you can tell me about what's bothering you? That is, if you feel like it." The girl nodded her head in what seemed like consent, shoved his books at him, and ran down the corridor to the Gryffndor house.

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"C'mon Ron, I wanna go to Zonko's for a bit!" Harry pulled at the sleeve of Ron's robe, trying to force him out of the Three Broomsticks. "We've been sitting here for ages, we'll have to go back to Hogwart's soon!" Ron felt bad that he was abandoning his friends, but he wanted to wait for the American girl to come around. Everyone always came to Harry when they needed help, or Hermione when they needed help with their schoolwork. But no one ever came to him, and now he had the chance to help this girl out.

"I promised someone I'd meet them here. You go on with Hermione Harry, I'll catch up with you later." Harry sighed and trudged out the door, Hermione following close behind. 

Ron was on his fifth butter beer when the bell above the door rang as someone walked in. He looked up and saw her, except for she looked different than she usually did. She wasn't wearing her usual array of makeup, and her hair wasn't fancily arranged. Instead, it was just hanging down, framing her face in a very attractive way. Her cheeks were flushed from being out in the cold, and she looked very young and pretty. Ron watched her for a while, then waved his hands in the hair.

"Courtney, over here!" She looked around, then her eyes found him in the back of the crowded room. She gave him a tentative smile, then began to make her way to where he was sitting. Ron signaled Madam Rosmerta to bring two more butter beers over as Courtney sat down.

"Sorry, I couldn't figure where this place was, and I was afraid to ask anyone." She said breathlessly. She blushed as his eyes traveled down to her tee shirt and jeans, completely inappropriate since it was freezing cold outside. "It doesn't get this cold at home, I didn't pack enough warm clothes." She shivered as she finished her statement, as if to emphasize her point.

"Oh, well here, wear this." Ron tossed her a big red sweater with the letter R on the front of it. "My mom makes me a new one every year..." He blushed, as if it was something to be something to be embarrassed about. "So anyway, what's wrong? Why were you crying yesterday?" The girl looked into his concerned eyes, and felt like she could trust him.

"It's so nice for you to care at all... it's just that everything's so different from back home. No one likes me, everyone thinks I'm a shallow ditz and I'm just lonely. And I've been trying to make friends with Hermione but she acts like I'm scum. And." She bit her lip, looking as if she were about to burst into tears again.

"She did? That surprises me, that doesn't sound like Hermione at all. Come with me for a second, let's go find her."

"Actually, I'm not feeling so well..." But he wouldn't take no for an answer, he grasped her hand firmly and pulled her up from the booth. She was sure she looked ridiculous wearing his huge sweater and being pulled along behind him like a little child, but she didn't really care that much. For some reason she felt safe with his big hand wrapped around her small one. 

The arrived in Zonko's a couple of minutes later, and Ron quickly scanned the room for Hermione and Harry. When he spotted them, he waved for them to come over, and turned to Courtney with his hands on her shoulders.

"Now just listen to what Hermione says, she usually has a reason for everything." He scanned the girls eyes to make sure that she was all right, then turned to Hermione, who was approaching from an area near a large display of fake wands.

"What's up Ron, did you find the person you were waiting for....." Hermione's voice trailed off as her eyes fell on Courtney, and her smile turned into a scowl. "What are you doing with her?"

"Hermione, she's been trying to make friends with you, what do you have against her?" Ron looked at his friend, knowing that she would never be mean to the younger girl without a reason. Hermione scowled at Courtney again, and Courtney looked down at the floor. Ron squeezed her hand reassuringly, and the girl looked up again.

"Pavarati told me that she said.....that I.....she said that in America they wouldn't have let girls as ugly as me into a school!"

"I never said that!" Courtney almost yelled, feeling so relieved that Hermione didn't dislike her for no reason. "Pavarati must be mad because I've been trying to stay away from Lavender and her, I can't stand their giggling all the time!" Hermione burst into laughter. 

"I should have known Pavarati would do something like that! I agree with you, they giggle all the time, it's about all they can do!" The two girls burst into laughter, and soon they were talking like old friends. Ron, feeling forgotten, turned and left the joke shop, glad that for once he had been able to help someone. All the same, he felt a strange twinge of regret at the fact that the problem had been solved so easily, and that now he would have no excuse to spend time with Courtney. He began to walk back down the hill towards the Three Broomsticks.

"Ron! Wait!" He turned around and saw Courtney running down the hill towards him, so he stopped and waited. She looked so pretty, small, and fragile, wrapped in his big sweater, her arms not nearly reaching past the sleeves. Just before she reached him however, she tripped on a root and fell forward, and by instinct he reached out his arms and caught her. Suddenly they found themselves so close that their noses were almost touching.

"I just wanted to thank you, you know, for helping me out..." her words trailed off as he looked down at her, his eyes traveling over every inch of her pretty face. 

"Well, you're welcome," he said softly, almost holding his breath. He leaned in and kissed her so briefly that it was almost as if it hadn't happened, still, the girl blushed so fiercely that her face was nearly the color of Ron's hair.

Hogwart's was all of a sudden looking a lot better.


	4. Default Chapter Title

The American Sisters: Love and Lies

Author's Note: I don't really know if anyone is reading these anymore, so if you guys want me to keep writing them please tell me. Thanks so much for your reviews (even the bad ones!) Enjoy!

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"Hey Wesley, isn't that your girlfriend giving tongue to that guy?" Fred turned around and to his chagrin saw the pale face of Draco Malfoy sickly grinning up at him.

"Yeah it is, she's probably just feeling the aftereffects of the potion YOU gave her last night. You're lucky she stuck up for you and wouldn't tell Madame Pomfrey who did it, or you would be in detention right now." In his heart though, Fred didn't know why he was sticking up for Tracy. She had been kissing that Patrick guy for five minutes straight now, and a crowd was beginning to form to watch her very public display of affection.

"She stuck up for me? Maybe I'll ask her out even if she is a Mudblood. She seems easy enough anyway." Fred pulled back his hand to hit him, only to have it grabbed by another hand. He looked over his shoulder and saw the soft blue eyes of Tracy's sister Courtney gazing sadly at him. Malfoy smirked and walked away.

"Fred don't, you'll only make it worse. She's been through a lot that you don't understand. I know this is hard, but please, give her a chance to explain. She's had a hard life lately." She smiled consolingly at him, then pushed through the crowd to join his brother Ron farther up the hall. As she passed Tracy, she smacked her upside the head. Tracy seemed to come out of her daze, she pulled away from Patrick and stared at him for a second, as if realizing who she was kissing. Then she put both hands on his chest and lightly shoved him away from her, she seemed to want him out of kissing range. She looked around at the crowd that was gathered around her with a baffled look on her face. Her look of confusion changed to one of slight fear however when her eyes fell on Fred. She motioned to Patrick and began to walk over to him with Patrick following. A little girl that Fred hadn't noticed before was clinging to Patrick's robes. 

"Fred, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened, I just..." She trailed off as if at a loss for words.

"I know this may not be the best time for introductions, but I'm Patrick." The boy with the twinkling black eyes held out his hand for Fred to shake, and Fred felt like punching him.

"Fred." He answered gruffly, stiffly shaking his hand.

"Please excuse Tracy, she let's her emotions take over sometimes. Doesn't think rationally, believe me, I would know. What are you her boyfriend or something? I doubt it though, because Tracy never really went for redheads. She said they reminded her of-"

"SHUT UP PAT!" Tracy interrupted him. "I do not let my emotions take over, he is my boyfriend, at least I think he is, and I never said anything about not liking red heads! Now, go to Dumbledore's office and he'll find you a place to stay!" She glared at him, then turned to the little girl standing beside her. "Carter, you go on with Patrick, ok, and I'll come and see you later." She smiled kindly at her, and Patrick took her by the hand and set off towards Dumbledore's office. 

"Who's the little girl?" Fred asked in a quiet voice that scared Tracy more than if he had yelled.

"Patrick's little sister Carter. She goes everywhere with him." She stared down at the floor. "Are you still my boyfriend?"

"Trace, of course I am, but you have to explain to me...I mean, I need to understand my you did that. It feels like my heart-" He broke off. He had never been good at expressing emotions and didn't want to seem even weaker right now than he already did. Tracy bit her lip and Fred felt all his love for her come rushing back, but now his love was tinged with a little bit of pain. 

"I guess you could call him my ex-boyfriend. He's 20, we knew each other back at school in America. And when I kissed him just now....well you know how sometimes, when you were with someone for a long time, all your feelings for them just come rushing back and you forget that you aren't together with them anymore? That's what just happened. I'm- I'm sorry."

"Oh that's ok, it's completely understandable. All is forgotten now, thanks to your wonderful explanation." he said in a sickly sweet voice. He didn't know why he was being mean to her, it hurt him to see the crestfallen look on her face. But he couldn't help it. "Look, let's go to the kitchens to get some food, I'm still hungry." And they began to head back towards the kitchens, the way they had been going before being interrupted. As they were about halfway there, they passed Angelina, who was emerging from one of the classrooms. Fred stopped her and quickly kissed her. "Sorry, I guess all my feelings came rushing back." he said to Tracy. He then turned to Angelina and gave her an apologetic look, she seemed as if she was about to faint. He then turned back to Tracy. She had tears forming in her eyes, and she was biting her lip to keep from crying. Her hands were trembling. Why was he doing this to her. Every time he saw her upset he felt a sharp pain, it was even worse when he knew that he was the reason for her distress. 

"Look Tracy, I'm sorry, the only reason I do that is because I want you to hurt as much as me I guess. I want you to know that I-" He made up his mind right then. "I want you to know that I love you." Tracy's whole face lit up, and she smiled at him with the most beautiful look in her eyes that he had ever seen. And then all of a sudden her smile turned to a from, and she bit her lip again.

"You wouldn't say that if....if you knew...."

"Tracy, nothing could make me not love you. I promise." She got a determined look in her eyes, and pulled him back the way they had come. Before Fred knew it, they had reached the Fat Lady, and Tracy was giving her the password.

"Tracy, what are you doing?"

"Just don't talk ok? I have to tell you this before I lose my nerve. I haven't been completely honest with you, I-" She broke off as they reached the commons room. Patrick was asleep in a chair by the fire, and the little girl was being read to by a magical book. "Carter come her a second, ok?" The little girl bounded over. Fred noticed she had large green eyes just like Tracy's. 

"Fred, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Carter"


	5. Default Chapter Title

The American Sisters: The Yule Ball

Before I start the story, I just want to thank you all for your reviews and help. Because of requests I decided to write about the Yule Ball. Also, thanks for pointing this out, I said the sisters were Muggles, what I meant was that they were Muggle born, they're witches of course. Also, the first part of this story is normal, but the actual Yule Ball part is told in the style of the movie "Go", from all the different characters perspectives, so I hope that doesn't confuse you! Enjoy!

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Hogwart's looked beautiful. They had never decorated for Christmas at Courtney and Tracy's school in America, and so both of them were in awe as they walked down the hall and saw the gorgeous decorations. Courtney was particularly fascinated by the suits of armor that glowed as she walked by, while Tracy loved the gorgeous greenery that was popping up all over the school. And there were signs all over the halls about the Yule Ball. The sisters had been told that this was a particularly special event since it usually only happened when there was a Triwizard Tournament going on. But this year, due to the fact that there had been snow storms going on since early November and it would be particularly hard for students to return home, they were going to hold the Yule Ball without the Triwizard Tournament. 

"So, d'you think that Ron'll ask me?" Courtney had just finished telling Tracy all about her trip to Hogsmeade, and her worries about the upcoming ball.

"Um, well Courts I don't want to upset you or anything, do you promise not to start crying if I tell you what I really think?" Courtney looked anxiously over at her and nodded her head.

"Yeah, promise."

"Well, I've heard that here in England when a guy kisses you, it means he really doesn't like you, and that he wants you to stay away from him. So I would just give up about Ron asking you to the ball."

"You know I hate you, don't you?" She slapped Tracy on the arm.

"Ouch, and yes, I know." She laughed. "So don't you want to know who I'm going to the ball with?"

"Aren't you going with Fred?" Courtney gave her a puzzled look, and Tracy laughed.

"He hasn't asked me yet either! Does that make you feel better? I bet it runs in the family." Both girls laughed, Tracy gave the password to the Fat Lady and they both stepped inside.

They entered the commons room, and it seemed to be filled with everyone in the house. Fred and George had obviously snuck down to the kitchen and brought back snacks for everyone, including butter beer from Hogsmeade. 

"Where have you two been? The party's been going on for ages!" someone yelled out from the back of the room, and others echoed similar statements.

"We've been looking around at the decorations! They're amazing!" Tracy yelled in the general direction of everyone in the room, since the inquiries had seemed to come from all around the room.

"Oh you silly American girls, so easily pleased by cheap tricks and decorations," came a familiar voice from the back of the room. Tracy searched around until she saw Fred slouched in one of the big, soft commons room couches, and went to sit down next to him.

"Hey there George. How're you? And how's your delightful brother Fred?"

" Oh I suspect he's doing all right for himself, and I couldn't be better. Want a chocolate? They're delicious!" He grinned at her, holding out a scrumptious looking chocolate.

"Uh uh, you bite into it first. I'm not falling for that!" He grinned again and put the chocolate down, then retrieved another out of a little box, bit into it, and then handed the box over to Tracy after she was sufficiently convinced that it wasn't a trick.

"So, you and Courtney have been looking around at the decorations huh? Are you excited about the Yule Ball?" She looked at his laughing green eyes and knew that she was very excited indeed. She gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I dunno, no one's asked me yet, and I don't really want to go alone..." She smirked at him. "But I think I have an idea of someone who I could go with."

"Oh you do, do you? And who might that be. I doubt anyone wants to go with the new girl." Tracy scanned the room until her eyes fell upon the person she was searching for.

"Hey! George!" He turned around and smiled at her.

"Yeah?"

"Who're you going to the Yule Ball with?"

"I haven't asked anyone yet, why?"

"Well, no one's asked me yet either, and I was thinking that maybe you and I could..... EEK!" She let out a high pitched squeal as Fred grabbed her and started poking her right where he knew she was ticklish.

"You be quiet you little....." He laughed as she squealed and squirmed, trying to get away from him. She was laughing so hard that her eyes were beginning to fill with tears. Within minutes she had fallen off the couch and was rolling around on the floor while Fred tickled her, with the entire commons room laughing along.

"Stop Fred....please.....you're killing me...." She forced her words out between peals of laughter, she was laughing so hard that she was becoming short of breath. 

"You really want me to stop? All you have to say is that you'll go to the Yule Ball with me."

"I'll....please Fred, I can't breath......I'll go.....to the Yule Ball....with you!" He laughed and stopped tickling her, and she sucked in gulps of air as he helped her up.

"Now that that's settled, I think we should go offer Colin a chocolate, what do you say?" She smiled and followed behind him.

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"Aren't you going to go help your sister? She looks like she's about to explode." Courtney turned around and saw a smiling Ron looking down at her. 

"No, I think she's enjoying it, and besides, I'm not going to mess with your brother."

"Well at least he'll stop worrying about asking her. He couldn't get up the nerve to do it and he thought that someone might ask her before he did."

"Funny that he didn't ask her right away, I mean, he knew she would say yes."

"Yeah it's funny how people get scared about doing things that should be easy.....um, youwannagototheballwithme?"

"Sorry? I couldn't really make that out." She laughed at him as his cheeks turned the color of his hair.

"You heard me, I'm not going to say it again!" He laughed good naturedly.

"Well in that case, yes, of course I'll go to the ball with you. It wasn't really all that hard was it?"

"You have no idea. What's happening over there?" They turned at the same time and laughed as they saw Tracy and Fred double over with laughter as a small canary frantically flew about the commons room.

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The Yule Ball: Ron's Perspective

"She'll think I'm ridiculous." Ron groaned as he looked at his reflection in the mirror: a boy with ridiculously bright red hair wearing something that resembled a Muggle woman's nightgown. 

"She won't think you're ridiculous, I'm sure she's not that superficial. She'll hate it more if you do to it what you did last year. I hate to say it Ron, but that looked awful." Harry was standing in the mirror alongside Ron, adjusting his dress robes. "Really, just don't worry about it, it'll be fine." 

"Ok, but if she laughs at me I'm coming straight back here and staying for the rest of the night." He and Harry headed downstairs and joined Fred and George, who were waiting for their dates. In a strange turn of events, George had decided to go with Hermione. Everyone was surprised since Hermione seemed to disapprove of everything George did, but Ron had a feeling that Hermione had been warming up much more to practical jokes ever since she had become friends with Courtney and Tracy.

"Here they come!" Ron turned towards the stairs as George announced the arrival of their dates. Ginny came down first, and he heard Harry draw in a breath as he saw her. Ginny certainly looked pretty, she had her hair curled and pulled back in little butterfly barrettes, and she had done something to her eyes that made them look big and gorgeous. Ron couldn't believe it was his own sister. Hermione and Tracy came down next, they also looked great. Courtney emerged after them, looking very nervous and slightly scared. She smiled however when he went up to her and presented her with the corsage that Fred had managed to get somewhere from Hogsmeade. Ron couldn't believe his luck. She had curled her hair somehow, and she had put makeup on her eyes that made the blue in them really stand out. She was wearing a little bit of pink lipstick too, which made the whole rest of her face look rosy. Ron thought she looked better than any of the other girls combined.

"So, are you ready to go down?"  
"Yeah sure, we don't want to miss the start of it." They began to head down to the Great Hall, and while they were walking, Ron managed to maneuver her hand into his. He liked it, it felt like they fit together perfectly, and he thought she probably liked it too, judging by the little smile that flickered across her face. 

They reached the Great Hall, and Ron pulled her over to a table where Harry and Ginny and George and Hermione were already sitting. Fred and Tracy were already on the dance floor, lost in their own world. They sat down at the table and talked for a while with the other couples. He was glad that Harry was going with Ginny this year, he had felt bad for her last year when she had endured a night of Neville stepping on her toes.

"Well what do you say we all go get these girls some punch?" George stood up, addressing Harry and Ron. 

"Yeah, sure, that's a good idea. Do you want some Courtney?" She nodded, and so he got up and joined George and Harry.

"So, how's it going guys?" George said as soon as they got away from the table. "Anything embarrassing happen yet?"

"No not yet." Ron answered. "She didn't even say anything about these awful dress robes." Harry chortled. 

"They're not that bad Ron. Ginny's being great, I never realized how sweet she was."

"Yeah well, you keep your hands off my sister Potter." George laughed and gave him a menacing look.

"We'd better get back, the girls probably want to dance." Ron's hands suddenly became clammy when Harry said this, and he started back to the table with heavy feet. He watched as Harry and George asked Ginny and Hermione to dance, then slowly started over to Courtney.

"Um, you want to dance now?" 

"Yeah, sure. But we don't have to if you don't want to you know." This simple statement made Ron feel less nervous. Obviously Courtney didn't have any ridiculous expectations of him.

"No, I would really like to dance with you. C'mon, this is a good song."

"Okay." Courtney smiled and allowed Ron to take her hand and help her up. 

Ron wasn't quite sure where to put his hands while they danced, but he looked around at the others and quickly figured it out. It felt so natural to be dancing with Courtney that soon he forgot his inhibitions, and one song turned into another song. Soon they had been dancing for so long that he wasn't really sure what time it was anymore.

"Hmm. I wonder what's wrong with Tracy." Courtney looked over Ron's shoulder and he turned around just in time to see Tracy run out of the room with Fred following closely behind.

"I have no idea." He said, looking down into Courtney's eyes. "But right now, I don't really care." And he leaned down for their second kiss, making it much longer than their first one had been.

The Yule Ball: Courtney's Perspective

"You guys look great. You look absolutely gorgeous." Courtney had spent the last hour helping Tracy, Ginny, and Hermione with their makeup, which was a big help since none of them really knew anything about it. "But are you sure this looks ok?" Ginny had convinced Courtney to curl her hair by telling her that Ron loved curly hair, and now she wasn't so sure about what she had done. She had put on her favorite shade of lipstick and eyeliner, but not too much. She didn't want to overdo it.

"You look perfect Courtney. Ron'll love it, I promise." Hermione offered these reassuring words. "We better go on downstairs, the guys are probably already waiting for us." Courtney reluctantly followed Ginny, Hermione, and Tracy down the stairs, desperately hoping that Ron wouldn't think she looked stupid. 

When she reached the bottom of the stairs Ron came over to her, and she smiled immediately, he looked so cute. He was wearing dress robes with all types of little bows on them, and the robe looked great with his red hair, his cheeks looked pinker than usual. Suddenly she felt a lot less nervous about the night.

"So, you ready to go down?" Ron asked her.

"Yeah sure, we don't want to miss the start of it." She answered back. They began to head down the hall. "I wonder if he'll kiss me again?" Courtney thought to herself. She wouldn't mind if he did, their first kiss had been so brief that she sometimes wondered if it had even happened at all. All of a sudden she felt Ron's had slip around hers. They felt perfect together, as if they were made for each other, and she smiled as he looked over at her.

When they got to the Great Hall they went to sit down at a table with Hermione and George and Harry and Ginny. She began talking immediately with Hermione, they talked all the time now that Ron had made them friends. They talked about every topic under the sun, from schoolwork to boys.

"Well what do you say we go get these girls some punch?" George stood up beside Hermione, and after a little talking the other two followed behind him away from the table. 

"So how's it going with Ron?" Hermione asked the minute the boys were far enough away from the table.

"Oh it's great!" Courtney answered. "He held my hand on the way down here, it was perfect. I like him so much. How about George?"

"Oh, well he's nice and we're getting along, and it was nice of you to have Tracy set us up and all, but I think we'll probably stay just friends. What about you Ginny, how's Harry?" Ginny blushed, both girls knew very well that getting to come to the ball with Harry was a dream come true for Ginny. 

"He's great, I'm trying to not act like a lovesick little girl."

"Oh, Ginny, you're not a lovesick little girl. If Harry doesn't see how great you are, then that's his fault." Courtney had become much better friends with Ginny ever since she had become friends with Ron, and she hated it when she put herself down. Harry and George came back over and asked Hermione and Ginny to dance, but Ron hung back. Courtney wondered for a minute what was wrong, but then she looked at his face and could tell that he was nervous about dancing. He slowly made his way over. 

"Um, you want to dance now?" Courtney was happy that he asked her, but she didn't want to make him too nervous. She decided to give him a choice.

"Yeah, sure. But we don't have to if you don't want to you know." Courtney saw Ron visibly relax and a second later they went out to the dance floor. Courtney saw Ron looking around at the other couples to figure out where to put his hands, it was a little awkward but eventually he figured it out, and when he did it was perfect. Courtney felt so safe and warm in his arms that she never wanted to leave. After a couple of dances, Courtney saw Tracy rush out of the Great Hall with Fred close behind her.

"I wonder what's wrong with Tracy?" She said to Ron, who was holding her very close. Ron looked down at Courtney.

"I have no idea. But right now, I don't really care." He leaned in closer to her and kissed her for the second time, and this time, Courtney definitely knew that it had happened. Everything about it was perfect.

The Yule Ball: Tracy's Perspective

Tracy was having the time of her life. On the way down to the Great Hall Fred had pulled her into a corner and kissed her, for no reason at all. It had been a perfect, unplanned moment, and Tracy had been feeling a bit dizzy ever since. Fred looked so much different to her tonight than he had in the past. Now, instead of a friend, she saw him in a new light. She was determined to make this night one of the best of her life.

The minute they got to the Great Hall Fred and Tracy started dancing. They were completely oblivious to others around them, not even bothering to sit down at the table with the rest of their friends.

"You look great tonight," Fred said, smiling at her as he whirled her around the dance floor. 

"Thanks" she blushed, and then giggled as Fred dipped her. "Sorry!" She apologized as she bumped in to a very disgruntled looking Slytherin couple. "Fred, I'm tired, I think I have to go sit down for a sec."

"Want me to bring you some punch?"

"Yeah that'd be great, thanks." Tracy made her way over to an empty table and sat down. After a few minutes, Draco Malfoy came over to her. 

"Hello Tracy."

"Oh! Hi! Um, what do you want?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened at the Quidditch match, my team urged me to do it and I let them get to me. Here, I brought you some punch. No hard feelings?"

"Oh, well that's so nice of you to say, of course no hard feelings! Thanks for the punch!" She looked after him as he walked away astounded, she had never thought Draco would apologize for anything.

"Doing OK over here? I saw you talking to Malfoy, I hope he wasn't bothering you?" Tracy looked up and saw that Fred had returned and that for some reason he looked both angry and confused.

"Oh no, I'm fine, we were just talking Fred. Here, he brought me some punch, sit with me for a while." Tracy took a sip of her punch and began to talk to Fred about the upcoming Quidditch match. But all of a sudden she felt something take hold in her stomach.

"I-I'm going to be sick." She ran out of the Great Hall as fast as she could, she didn't want Fred to see her throw up. She reached Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and ran to the first stall as fast as she could. 

"Trace?" she heard Fred's tentative voice from the doorway. "I'm coming in ok?"

"Ok." But no sooner had she said the words than she started to be sick again. She felt cool hands pull back her hair and hold it away from her face, and Fred stroked her hair soothingly. 

"It's all right, don't worry..." Tracy thought she might cry. She had wanted this night to be perfect, and now it was ruined. Fred was sitting here watching her throw up.

"Very romantic." thought Tracy wryly. It was then that she knew she loved him. She sat there with him helping her while she was sick, and he didn't leave. He stuck by her, even though it was ruining his evening.

"Should I tell him?" Tracy wondered. She looked up at him, and to her surprise he looked angry. Not daring to ask what was wrong she simply said "I bet Malfoy put something in my punch." And then she was sick again.

The Yule Ball: Fred's Perspective

When Fred had first seen Tracy on the night of the Yule Ball he had been over whelmed. She looked so pretty that while they were walking to the Great Hall he had pulled her aside and kissed her. And she had looked so surprised and pleased that it was completely worth it. 

Fred didn't think he could stand a minute of sitting down at a table and making small talk, so he pulled Tracy onto the dance floor as soon as they got to the Great Hall. Perhaps he was dancing a little too vigorously because after they hit a pair of Slytherins Tracy said she needed to go sit down. Fred left to get them some punch, and when he came back he saw Malfoy talking to Tracy. To his surprise he felt a wave of anger hit him. Could Malfoy be hitting on Tracy? And since when did he care who Tracy talked to? And then it hit him. He had fallen in love with Tracy. Had he really? Fred didn't believe that it could be true, but his heart was telling him otherwise. He suddenly found himself very confused. As soon as Malfoy left Fred went over, and after being assured by Tracy that nothing was wrong, was content to sit down and drink punch with Tracy.

All of a sudden Tracy got up and ran out of the room, saying something about being sick. Fred got up and hurried after her, not wanting to be apart from her for a minute. He rushed into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom just as Tracy became sick for a second time. He rushed over and pulled back her hair, and trying to comfort her he began to talk to her as soothingly as he could. "I really do love her," he thought. "Why can't I just tell her?" But he was scared that she wouldn't return his feelings, and so he decided not to tell her, even though it made him angry at himself. All of a sudden Tracy looked up at him, and she looked as if she was about to tell him something. But then she changed her mind he guessed, because all she said was "I bet Malfoy put something in my punch."

"I'm going to kill Malfoy." Fred thought to himself, as Tracy leaned back over the toilet and was sick again.


End file.
